It’s Friday, January 12th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Adam McManus
Nigerian Muslim kidnappers keep pastors hostage despite getting ransom
Two Nigerian pastors kidnapped along with others last month remain captive despite their denomination paying the ransom for their release, reports Morning Star News.
Rev. Elkanah Ayuba and Rev. Simon Ezra, both of the United Methodist Church, were among at least 20 people kidnapped on December 19th from Yorro County in Taraba State.
On January 4th, Rev. Micah Dopa, president of the Southern Conference of the United Methodist Church, said, “As a Body of Christ, we mobilized and paid $12,264 for our members to be released, but the terrorists decided to release only the Muslim victims in their custody. It is clear that the terrorists’ activities are a plot to erase Christians in the area.”
Chris Christie dropped out
Just days before the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Wednesday at a townhall meeting, reports LifeNews.
CHRISTIE: “My goal has never been to be just a voice against the hate and the division and the selfishness of what our party has become under Donald Trump. It’s also been to win the nomination and defeat Joe Biden and restore our party and our country to a new place of hope and optimism in this country.
“I’ve always said that there came a point in time in this race where I couldn’t see a path to accomplishing that goal that I would get out. And it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for President United States.”
10 pro-life rescuers go to trial next week
On Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:30am, some faithful pro-life Christians sought to rescue pre-born babies from certain death at an abortion mill, innocuously named Carafem Health Center, in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.
As they peacefully blocked the door to the baby-killing center, they prayed that God would convict the mothers who had scheduled the executions of the babies in their wombs to choose life instead. Because the pro-life rescuers refused to leave, the police arrested them, reported NewsChannel5 in Nashville.
To its shame, Biden’s Department of Justice indicted these 10 rescuers on October 5, 2022 on charges of violating the misguided Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and a conspiracy to violate the so-called constitutional right to abortion in the pre-Dobbs era. The trial, which could lead to astronomical fines and up to 11 years in federal prison, begins next Tuesday, January 16th.
Coleman Boyd, one of the indicted pro-life rescuers, videotaped part of that March 5th, 2021 rescue.
Listen.
BOYD: “I will follow You, Lord and obey you. You show me what you want me to do, and I’ll follow You and obey. What I can tell you it doesn’t mean is comfortable American Christian living while babies are being murdered, while souls are slipping into hell. That I know it doesn’t mean. So, whatever He’s calling you to, you’ve got to seek the Lord. You’ve got to cry out to God and you’ve got to have a heart that I’m going to obey. ‘Be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us.’” (Ephesians 5:1)
Later, when Boyd saw a couple outside the Tennessee abortion mill coming towards him, he said this.
BOYD: “Good morning, guys. Can I give you some literature? It’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You know that Christ Jesus came to give life. He came to lay down His life for us.
“I’m not sure why you’re here at this building today, but if you’re here for this abortion clinic, I plead with you today: Turn away from abortion, turn away from death, and turn to Jesus Christ. You know that Jesus laid down His life so that you can have life. Please talk with us.”
As The Federalist recently declared, “If peacefully protesting abortion is criminal, but firebombing pregnancy centers is not, there is no rule of law.”
Indeed, Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society, who is representing Paul Vaughn, one of the ten pro-life rescuers, appeared on Fox News Channel with Tucker Carlson and cited the rich American tradition of civil disobedience dating back to Martin Luther King, Jr.
BREEN: “Those who were arrested were leaning on the tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King. He himself was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. I mean, this is the great tradition of American civil disobedience. And it’s not the sort of thing that you turn into a 10-year felony. We believe we have very strong defenses and hope to beat these charges at trial.”
Please consider attending a prayer rally on Tuesday January 16th at 7:30a.m. right before their trial begins. The rally will be located at the Federal Court House, 801 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203.
In a promotional email for the prayer rally, André De Toit, wrote, “We are living in a time where injustice rules, immorality is being celebrated openly, and truth is being perverted. Meanwhile, the Christian Church has grown cold and apathetic towards what God has called her to be.”
Anti-Israel protestors derail San Antonio, Texas City Council meeting
Yesterday, a group of about 20 anti-Israel protesters temporarily derailed the San Antonio, Texas City Council meeting just minutes into its first meeting of 2024 as they demanded a cease-fire, reports the San Antonio Express-News.
Listen.
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Ceasefire now. Ceasefire now. Ceasefire now. Ceasefire now. Ceasefire now.”
LEADER: “What do we want?”
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Ceasefire.”
LEADER: “When do we want it?”
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Now!”
LEADER: “What do we want?”
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Ceasefire.”
LEADER: “When do we want it?”
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Now! Free, free Palestine. Free, free Palestine.”
Then, their chanting became personal as they accused San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who is Jewish, of genocide.
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “Ron, Ron. You can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”
LEADER: “Ron, Ron. You can’t hide.”
ANTI-ISRAEL GROUP: “We charge you with genocide. Hey, hey. Ho, ho. The occupation has got to go. Hey, hey. Ho, ho. The occupation has got to go.”
One of the anti-Israel protestors revealed to KENS-5 TV their motivation behind shutting down the City Council meeting.
MAZATL CIHUATL: “The main message to the city today is that we are going to make your life highly disruptive, highly inconvenient, until you acquiesce to our demands to sever your relationships with Israel and to immediately call for a permanent ceasefire.”
After the meeting, Mayor Nirenberg told reporters, “We all want an end to the violence in the Middle East. We all want a just and lasting peace. The City Council is in no position to advance that.”
This week, San Francisco made headlines when it became the largest city in the United States to call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, following Seattle, Detroit, and Atlanta. Denver and Minneapolis are considering similar calls.
53% of U.S. pastors want to quit
And finally, as American pastors have grown increasingly discontent with their profession, 53% have seriously considered leaving pastoral ministry since 2020, according to a new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
In 2021, only 37% of pastors thought about leaving the ministry.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Friday, January 12th in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.